Letter from Sinclair Lewis to Marcella Powers, August 17, 1943

              aJ^*-  H  CHATEAU mflRfllOIlT  8221 SUNSET BOULEVARD  HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES , CALIFORNIA  Tue s day, Augu s t 17  Dear Sweet:  ^<^S  You know, I don't think my adoration of you t* more  than just a tiny percentage* ^ihe old. familiar Angela-Is-22  craving of molasses-footed senility for bright sleek Youth.  I got immediately tired of Timmy and Christopha,ammm though  they were, as young as you and very .pretty and"" not bad fun  and not more .than 92 %  dumb and they seemed to like ffle,, oh  yessir, yessir..  What I adore in you as much as; youth and  swiftness- and beauty — and you are so God damn beautiful —  in your slashing mind, ,,your humor, your fantasy so strangely  combined with dependability, your gallantry....and all the  memories of the Four Years whose anniversary is now at hand.  Your last letter particularly darling.  I am glad you are  thinking about getting me the MINK COAT. Way I figure it,  Auntie Marcella, is that I have had two-three years of fairly  deep meditation on it now; that I am spiritually prepared to  comprehend and steer it now; that I by God would like to  enjoy it before I get MM1M too old; and that, fl»f course, I  shall not expect to dine anywhere except at the Bar-B-Q-Jr.  Lunch for the next five or six years to make up for it I will  like hell, Good Lord didn't you save anything out of the  $7500 a week you made in Hollywood playing Tug Boat Annie?  No, DON'T send me the detailed, statements of how much the  paper napkins and the Golden Glo Toiletto cost for the house.  CThe |9,996,996,996.96 is enough, and if you spend that much  on your own selfish bones and those of Tessie Povah, you  might think,.at least, think,  I say, about how I could put  -^ it over Kay in the office and maybe get Hal to propose to me  *  and I wouldnt.put it past the sob what do you mean propose  oropose what —• think,  I repeat about putting at least  }96,96 into that m.c.  I await your picture with more eagerness than you could, ever  guess- from my stately and authorial notes.  You think maybe write something for Liberty.  Nov/ the first  and immensely important rule for people beginning to sell  writings. Read and study tmsm  several copies of Liberty  (or whatever magazine you might want to aim at) to see just  what sort of thing they want — short stories, articles,.what  type of articles (whimsical, informative, advisory, etc.)  they are actually taking.  If you did that cat thing, just  for instance, it might go with N. Yorker, najhe couple of  the women' s magazines, probly not for Liberty.    — =-_____^^  r  1